Relegated Southampton were ‘confident’ of luring Atalanta striker Rasmus Hojlund to the Premier League last summer with the Serie A hotshot now emerging as one of Europe’s hottest young forwards.
You could make one hell of a frontline out of the forwards Southampton have tried and failed to sign in recent times.
Talks with both Cody Gakpo and Goncalo Ramos only resulted in disappointment, with the two players now contributing 77 goals and assists between them in 2022/23. Hojlund, meanwhile, went the same way as Gakpo, Ramos, Darwin Nunez, Gianluca Scamacca and co.
Southampton relegated from Premier League
Southampton, The Athletic say, were ‘confident’ of luring Hojlund to St Mary’s.
The then-Sturm Graz starlet joined Atalanta for around £17 million instead, however. And it’s testament to how far he’s come since then that – amid interest from Manchester United, Newcastle and Arsenal – his market value has soared to somewhere in the region of £45 million.
While not quite as complete as Ramos or as consistent as Gakpo; Hojlund still has 17 goals in 27 starts for club and country this term.
He marked his Denmark debut with a hat-trick against Finland in March. His shock of blonde hair, his searing pace and his emphatic finishing ability leading to somewhat inevitable comparisons with another Scandinavian poacher.
“He has very similar characteristics to Erling Haaland,” Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini smiles.
“He’s so quick. He can run 100 metres in under 11 seconds, and that’s not even trying very hard. Considering his height, he has a low centre of gravity and can move his legs very fast.
“I am convinced he’ll have a great career. He just gets stronger every day.”
While far from their only problem – Southampton have resembled Jay-Z on a bad day throughout much of the campaign – an almost-league-worst tally of 31 goals from 36 games goes a long way to explaining why the Saints’ 11-year stay in the Premier League came to an end on Saturday. A 2-0 home defeat to Fulham the final nail in the coffin.
How things would have turned out had Gakpo, Ramos or Hojlund signed on the dotted line less than 12 months ago, we can only wonder.
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